Bananas: what are the benefits and harms for the body

What are the beneficial substances contained in bananas

Eating one large banana (about 200 g) will give youBanana, Raw:

• vitamin B6 - 41% of the required daily value;
• vitamin C - 33%;
• manganese - 30%;
• potassium - 23%;
• magnesium - 15%;
• folate (vitamin B9, its synthetic form is folic acid) - 11%;
• riboflavin (vitamin B2) - 10%.

Banana also contains other vitamins. group B, vitamins A, E and K, as well as copper, phosphorus, zinc, iron.

What are the health benefits of bananas

This is what the fruit does in the body.

1. Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

The basis of a banana is carbohydrates, including fiber. One of its types is pectinModification of pectin polysaccharides during ripening of postharvest banana fruit - gives the pulp a spongy shape. The other, starch, is responsible for the dense consistency. As the banana ripens, the starch breaks down into monosaccharides and disaccharides, so the fruit becomes softer and sweeter.

Both pectin and starch (which is especially abundant in unripe bananas) reduce

Resistant Starch: The Effect on Postprandial Glycemia, Hormonal Response, and Satiety, Sustained Pectin Ingestion Delays Gastric Emptying blood sugar level after eating, preventing its sudden changes. This means that such a treat serves as a kind of prevention. hyperglycemia.

2. Helps Stay Full Longer

All the same pectin and starch slow downResistant Starch: The Effect on Postprandial Glycemia, Hormonal Response, and Satiety, Sustained Pectin Ingestion Delays Gastric Emptying emptying the stomach. Food is digested in a better quality and measured way, and a person feels full longer.

3. Improves the health of the digestive system

The starch is not digested in the upper digestive system and reaches the large intestine. Here it becomes foodShort-chain Fatty Acids and Human Colonic Function: Roles of Resistant Starch and Nonstarch Polysaccharides for beneficial bacteria, that is, it improves the condition of the intestinal microflora.

And pectin, in turn, may protect against colon cancer. At least several studies support this.Anti ‑ cancer Activities of pH- Or Heat ‑ Modified Pectin, Pectin and Pectic ‑ Oligosaccharides Induce Apoptosis in in Vitro Human Colonic Adenocarcinoma Cells in vitro.

4. May help you lose weight

To date, there are no studies that would unequivocally report: if you eat a banana every day, you can lose weight. But indirect evidence is optimistic. So, it is known that regular consumption of fruits and vegetables, which contain a lot of fiber, is associatedThe Effect of Fiber on Satiety and Food Intake: A Systematic Review with weight loss.

There are other factors as well. For example, a medium-sized banana has only about 105 kcal.11 Evidence ‑ Based Health Benefits of Bananas. This is about the same as 2.5% fat in a glass of kefir. At the same time, a banana is very satisfying: by eating it, you can do without harmful and high-calorie snacks for longer.

5. Strengthens the heart

Potassium is a mineral that is essential for normal heart function. KnownPotassium Intake and Risk of Stroke in Women With Hypertension and Nonhypertension in the Women’s Health Initiativethat a potassium-rich diet normalizes blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke. But often people don't getPotassium Intake of the U.S. Population this substance is in sufficient quantity.

Eating bananas daily is a way to avoid potassium deficiency.

In addition, bananas contain a lot of magnesium, which also playsMagnesium: Its Proven and Potential Clinical Significance important role in the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

6. Reduces the risk of kidney disease

In one 13-year studyFruits, Vegetables and Risk of Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Prospective Study of Swedish Women Scientists have found that women who ate bananas 2-3 times a week had kidney disease 33% less often than those who hardly ate these fruits.

Another studyA Case ‑ Control Study of Diet and Risk of Renal Adenocarcinoma found that eating bananas 4-6 times a week reduced the risk of kidney disease by 50%.

7. Helps Maintain Youth and Brain Health

Bananas contain several types of antioxidants, including dopamineHigh Content of Dopamine, a Strong Antioxidant, in Cavendish Banana and catechinsAntioxidant compounds from bananas (Musa Cavendish). These compounds fight free radicals that damage organ and tissue molecules.

Modern medicine believes that it is free radicals (more precisely, the oxidative stress caused by them) often cause early aging and so dangerous diseases such as cancer, dementia and other brain dysfunctions, cardiovascular and autoimmune violations.

When you eat a banana, you reduce the damage that oxidative stress does to your body.

How and to whom bananas can harm

Most often, bananas are completely safe.Banana. Side Effects. The exception is people who are allergic to this fruit. Curiously, it is often cross-linked: an unhealthy reaction to the banana is seen in those who suffer from latex allergies.

In extremely rare cases, bananas can cause:

• bloating;
• a soft chair;
• nausea and vomiting.

To avoid these side effects, it is enough not to overeat bananas. One or two fruits a day is enough to get only the benefit and not the slightest harm.